July 2021 Self-Care Workshops

A backyard pool with 2 people in it. on left, a white young teen boy with a green pool floatie around his neck and his eyes closed. on the right, a white woman with a grey hat, orange and blue bathing suit, lying on a purple pool floatie, smiling. Tag: july 2021 self-care

Happy Summer!

So many cities across the country are already getting intense heat. 

Here in Portland temps are in the record-breaking triple digits. We got our pool set up and AC units in the windows (houses in Portland don’t usually come with AC), and we’re eating lots of cold fruit and salad.

I hope you’re finding ways to stay cool and safe!

 


July 2021 Self-Care at Burnout Proof Academy

Healing Interpreter Burnout: Complete Your Stress Cycle

Image description: background image is a teal underwater shot. White text reads, "Growth requires that we step out of our comfort zone and spend time with the discomfort of change, uncertainty, getting it wrong, and trying again" -Brea Cross-Caldwell, VIEWS August 2020. Tag: july 2021 self-care

Image: The Insightful Interpreter

Are you feeling exhausted?

Burnout and emotional exhaustion can have negative impacts on your health, relationships, and work.

It can be hard to know how to rescue yourself, let alone find the energy to take positive steps.

Good news! You don’t have to live like this. A long, fulfilling career is within your grasp. This course can help.

You will explore:

  • Your stress cycle: what it is, how to complete it, and how it affects you when you don’t
  • Techniques for self-regulation that you can use during your work day
  • How to form and integrate new, healthy habits to help heal and prevent burnout

0.35 GS CEUs through The Insightful Interpreter, processed by Interpretek

Healing Burnout Group Study Guide

Get 0.2 additional CEUs for gathering your friends and discussing what you learned in the Healing Interpreter Burnout course.

If you like to learn and grow within community, we have a treat for you! The Group Study option is scheduled to be available for the Healing Interpreter Burnout course through The Insightful Interpreter, the week of July 6th, 2021!

 


Support for Insecurity and Self-Doubt 

light blue background with yellow squares and lines and a dark green rectangle at the bottom with a picture of white woman with curly dark blonde hair wearing glasses and a green plaid shirt unbuttoned over a black shirt, Dark green text on image: Recording posted, Sign Language interpreter imposter syndrome? Close the gap in confidence, skills + self-analysis with shanna grossinger founder of aslmentors.com in asl, facebook/com/groups/burnoutproofcollective/ Tag: july 2021 self-care

Close the Gap in Confidence, Skills, and Self-Analysis for Sign Language Interpreters with a Deaf Mentor

Did you miss the Facebook Live with Shanna Grossinger in our Burnout Proof Collective Facebook group?

Good news: the recording is posted!

Click here to watch now

 


Burnout Proof Book Club – Encore Live Discussion
Aug 11th, 2021 5:00 – 6:00 pm pacific

light pink, dark pink and dark yellow stripe background, burnout proof book club, burnout: the secret to unlocking the stress cycle, tag: july 2021 self-care
We had such an amazing time in our first Book Club live discussion! We dove deep into Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle.

If you are reading along with us but were unable to make the live discussion, here’s another opportunity!

Join the live discussion to real-talk about:

  • The ‘yuck’ that’s leftover after handling a problem.
  • How holding everything in and doing for everybody else keeps us up late at night.
  • The shame we feel from HAVING emotions.
  • Taking up a hugging practice
  • The struggle of saying what we need or how we feel.
  • The inbox in our gut where we store our uncompleted stress.
  • That it’s ok not to be ok.

This is an on-demand, self-paced book club offering worth 1.3 GS CEUs, with a Live Discussion opportunity. Click below to register and get instant access to everything!

Don’t miss the upcoming Live Discussion, happening August 11th 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm pacific. Put it on your calendar now!

Click here for instant access

 


The book club survey results are in!!

Text reads: Book Club Survey Results. Image: Arms reaching up holding books. Tag: july 2021 self-care

Book Club courses will return in the Fall with some great picks. We learned many helpful things from this survey, thanks to all who participated!

A few key takeaways:

  • Wednesday evenings were a clear winner
  • Imposter syndrome was requested as a topic for reading, and I’m happy to say just about every one of these books will support us there!

And the winner is…..

UNTAMED, by Glennon Doyle
Live Discussions September 1st & 29th, 2021

Left image: multicolored glittered background Untamed, Glennon Doyle. Author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Love Warrior. Right image: photo of Glennon, a white woman with blondish brown hair past her shoulders, a white tank top, leaning forward clasping her hands together. Tag: july 2021 self-care

We’ll be trying out a new format, meeting once to kick off this new read – getting to know each other and discuss first impressions of the book – and then again at the end of the month to discuss the rest of the book, share takeaways, and connect more deeply with each other.

Thanks to those who suggested this new format! I’m looking forward to meeting with you twice!

Get on our email list to be the first to know when registration opens

 

You selected the remaining books from the survey + your additions in this order:

Second Place Tie
The Body is Not An Apology: The Power of Radical Self-Love, by Sonya Renee Taylor
The Gifts of Imperfection, by Brene Brown book cover for The Body is Not an Apology: The Power of Radical Self-Love. A Black woman lying on a bed of red, yellow, and blue flowers, appears to be nude with blue flowers over her nipples and on her leg.

Third Place
Codependent No More, by Melody Beatty

Fourth Place Tie
Hope in the Dark
My Grandmother’s Hands

Watch for these book club offerings Fall of 2021 and Winter of 2022!


Recalibrate | July 2021 Oil Protocol

This is a time of taking stock and opening to recalibration. Be with yourself in the discomfort.

Locate the gaps between where you are and where you want to be. This requires getting radically honest with yourself about your current experience.

Can you allow it?
Can you name every nuance of it?
And even more, can you feel it and stay with it as long as it wants to move in you – without inflating or stoking the flames?

Apply this protocol and then follow your body as it wants to move: dancing, crying, resting, or punching pillows.

Allow what’s alive in you to be honored and expressed, and allow it to subside when it’s over.

Green background, grey and yellow lettering. Text reads: July 2021 Oil Protocol. recalibrate. In yellow boxes with blue accents: melaleuca > third eye. cypress > belly. cardamom > navel. tangerine > heart + wrists. @brighterfocus. Tag: july 2021 self-care

As you apply these oils, bring your attention to your senses:

  • Inhale the fragrance of each oil separately, and the combinations
  • Feel your own touch as you apply them to your body lovingly
  • See the colors of the bottles and the amber drops of liquid
  • Set intentions with each oil application, grounding yourself in what you know to be true

Invite the properties of each oil to inspire your intentions:

  • Melaleuca – between eyebrows – tune into your energetic boundaries and seal the leaks.
  • Cypress – rub on belly in a circular motion – encourage movement and flow throughout your core.
  • Cardamom – inside navel – allow deeper emotions to surface and be attended to.
  • Tangerine – heart + inside wrist creases – activate creative energy to process and move with your emotions.

Safety + Efficacy

  • Dilute essential oils with a carrier oil for increased efficacy and decreased skin sensitivity.
  • Citrus oils can produce photosensitive reactions. Use on skin covered by clothing if you’ll be in the sun.
  • Some oils are hot or ‘spicy’ to the skin, including cassia, oregano, thyme, and peppermint. Dilute to decrease this sensation.

Oil properties inspired by Emotions and Essential Oils: A Reference Guide for Emotional Healing and the teaching of Desiree Mangandog.

Seasonal, astrological, energetic information inspired by Sarah Faith Gottesdiener of Modern Women.


May the fullness of this new season bring abundance to your life. May you recognize it. May you receive it. May you listen deeply to its gifts.

Signature: With love and bright focus, Brea. Tag: july 2021 self-care

What Others Think of You is None of Your Business

Think of a situation where you worry about what others might be thinking of you. 

So many of us experience this. This is a big one for me – really caring about how others see me and caring about others’ experience of me. Often that takes me outside of what’s actually mine to control, what’s really my responsibility. 

So you’re worried about what others might be thinking of you. What kind of situations does this happen to you in? Maybe in some places in our lives we’re more susceptible to being worried about what someone else thinks of us. Maybe in some situations we’re less concerned about that and we feel clearer within ourselves.

Something to notice in these situations where we’re concerned about what someone else thinks of us is first we don’t get to control what others think. We’re never in their minds, even if we can play a part that might influence them one way or another. We don’t control what others think of us. 

I love a saying that I hear often and I repeat to myself often – what others think of me is none of my business. 

That’s not our business, what others think of us. 

What is more helpful and the reminder I want to share with all of us today is that I am responsible for what I think of me. What I think of myself is what matters more. 

✔Am I living up to my values?
✔Am I operating in a way that really aligns with how I want to show up in the world? 

That’s what I have control over. That’s what I can do something about. That’s the metric I want to measure and I want to live my life by. 

Whose Yard Are You In?

fenced in yard with yellow flowers and green grass with lambs laying on the ground; Tag: what others think of you

Photo by Jalen Hueser

There are two kinds of yards:

My yard >> My thoughts, my feelings, my actions, my words. 

These are all things that are mine. These are the things that live in my yard, that are in my domain. These are the things that I’m responsible for. 

Someone else’s yard >> Their thoughts, their feelings, their actions, their words. 

I can care about someone else deeply, but I can only do it from my yard. If I go over into their yard and worry about:

❌What they’re thinking about me
❌What they’re feeling
❌What they’re doing
❌What they’re saying 

Then that means I have abandoned my yard. I’ve abandoned myself. I’ve abandoned my responsibilities. I’m not taking care of me or what I need to be taking care of because I’m over there trying to take care of what they should be taking care of.  

If you find yourself in someone else’s yard, don’t worry! All you have to do is go back to your yard and remind yourself, “I’m responsible for what I think of me. What do I think of me?” 

TIP: Those thoughts we’re talking about, “what I think of me…” those are thoughts, those are like clouds that pass through our mind. We’re not even really in control of our thoughts! Thoughts come and go. They’re projections of the mind and the brain. What I’m more responsible for, if we want to get really nuanced here with our language, I’m responsible for those thoughts that I attach to, those thoughts that I believe. 

I love the sign for believe. Think – marry. 

A belief is a thought that I marry, that I attach to. I choose to bring this thought into my world. 

I get to choose what thoughts I attach to, what I believe, what I believe about myself. That’s mine to manage, that’s mine to take care of. 

brown skinned woman standing near a pink flower tree smiling with her eyes closed, Tag: what others think of you

Photo by James Resly

Final Thoughts

A reminder as you move through your days and weeks (or even just this moment):

Pay attention to what the thoughts are in your mind. Where are you worried about what someone else is thinking of you? Come back to your own yard and ask yourself these questions:

🌱What am I responsible for in this moment?
🌱What do I think of me?
🌱What am I thinking of me right now?

This is a mindfulness practice. This is just noticing where our thoughts go and gently bringing us back to our center. That’s what meditation can be. That’s what any kind of mindfulness practice can be. 

Paying attention on purpose to the present moment without judgment

Sometimes our judgments of ourselves are what we’ll really notice here. When I come back to the present moment and I pay attention to what my thoughts are, I notice — “Oh there’s a lot of judgment against myself right there.” 

Can I let that be here too? Can I come back to a place of love for myself even with my human brain that wants to judge? Because that’s what our brains do. 

Click here to participate in the discussion and let us know in the comments:

Where does this show up for you?
What is challenging about this for you?
What have you found helps you come back to responsibility for yourself and noticing what you think of yourself and really caring for that relationship that you have with yourself? 


You’re Invited

Join our free support community, The Burnout Proof Collective, to connect with interpreters, teachers, and parents who are working on taking better care of themselves too. This is the best way to get personal support from Brea and to go deeper with your self-care!

Click here to join

blue background, yellow heart, text reads: Burnout Proof Collective. Image: 2 people with arms linked, smiling at the camera, the one on the left has brown skin, short bleached hair, glasses, and a black leather biker jacket, the one on the right is white with long blonde hair walking in front of a group of smiling people of varying skin tones. Tag: what others think of you

Insecurity and self-doubt for sign language interpreters

White person with short brown hair behind sheer white fabric, hand up pressing out on the fabric. Tag: insecurity self-doubt

Image: Steinar Engeland

Insecurity and self-doubt have been near-constant companions in my life for as long as I can remember. As a kid I worried that I was “annoying”, and spent so much time and energy curating my words and behaviors in hopes of not making anyone around me uncomfortable.

By the time I became an interpreter, I was a master chameleon. In some ways this served me well in that career – being able to take on and portray the world view, affect, and opinions of others. But internally, it left me feeling hollow and empty, or worse, at times anxious and insecure.

I spent so much time trying to conform to what I thought others wanted, that I hadn’t done the real work of developing myself. Feedback was painful and difficult to receive, because in my mind it meant someone was unhappy with me.

Part of the work of healing has been to identify my core values – why I care about the work I do, and the qualities I want to embody through it – and then to seek feedback from respected sources to help me translate those values into actions and skills.

When you have a supportive mentor in your corner, insecurities and areas of self-doubt can become welcome signals and signposts, showing you where to focus your self-development and skill-building work.

If you’re engaged in skill-building and self-development, don’t miss Shanna Grossinger of ASLMentors.com as she livestreams in The Burnout Proof Collective this Thursday! June 24th at 3:30 pm pacific – she’ll share meaningful tips for getting the most out of mentorship.

What are your summer self-care plans?

Luna, olive-skinned person with short brown hair, lying on stomach reading a book on a green mat in the grass. Next to Luna is Athena, a white Pitbull, lying on her stomach with a book in front of her, looking up at the camera. Tag: summer self-care

Summer Self-Care Plans

The past year has been a doozy!!! As more people get vaccinated, COVID restrictions are lifting, and we are navigating the potential return to more face-to-face time.

Gathering with others in person might be what you’ve hoped and dreamed for, it might be stirring up your deepest fears and anxieties, or you may be feeling both excitement and dread simultaneously. Here’s a helpful article I read this week titled, Advice to the anxious for eventually meeting in person again.  I’m definitely in the anxious/excited mixed-emotions camp!

The bottom line is: whatever your reaction to this transition…

You’re normal!!

This is a good time to create or update your self-care plan to support your transition to summer and to ease your nervous system through another shift. Here’s part 1 of a series to help you be with difficult feelings – like the ones you might be having now – and to give you tools to take with you into the summer:

Click here to read Self-Care Strategies for Fear part 1


Summer 2021 at Burnout Proof Academy – What’s on your summer reading list?

light pink, dark pink and dark yellow stripe background, burnout proof book club, burnout: the secret to unlocking the stress cycle, tag: summer self-care
We had such an amazing time in our first Book Club live discussion! We dove deep into Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle.

If you are reading along with us but were unable to make the live discussion, the recording is now posted here.

 

This hour was packed with poignant honesty and real-time revelations, including real talk about:

  • The ‘yuck’ that’s leftover after handling a problem.
  • How holding everything in and doing for everybody else keeps us up late at night.
  • The shame we feel from HAVING emotions.
  • Taking up a hugging practice
  • The struggle of saying what we need or how we feel.
  • The inbox in our gut where we store our uncompleted stress.
  • That it’s ok not to be ok.

This is an on-demand, self-paced book club offering worth 1.3 GS CEUs. If you haven’t yet registered just click below and you’ll get instant access to everything!

Click here for instant access


Cast Your Vote for Fall Burnout Proof Book Club

Text: What book should we read next? Take our short survey to cast your vote! Image: white distress wall with stack of old books to the right of the picture with a variety of colored pages and binding. Tag: summer self-care

Our first book club was so much fun! I can’t wait until we get started on our next book in the fall 2021. But I need your help deciding which book we’ll be reading next.

Currently tied for first:

Vote for your choice here!


Healing Interpreter Burnout: Complete Your Stress Cycle

Group Study Guide coming soon!

Image description: background image is a teal underwater shot. White text reads, "Growth requires that we step out of our comfort zone and spend time with the discomfort of change, uncertainty, getting it wrong, and trying again" -Brea Cross-Caldwell, VIEWS August 2020. Tag: summer self-care

Image: The Insightful Interpreter

Are you feeling exhausted?

Burnout and emotional exhaustion can have negative impacts on your health, relationships, and work.

It can be hard to know how to rescue yourself, let alone find the energy to take positive steps.

Good news! You don’t have to live like this. A long, fulfilling career is within your grasp. This course can help.

You will explore:

  • Your stress cycle: what it is, how to complete it, and how it affects you when you don’t
  • Techniques for self-regulation that you can use during your work day
  • How to form and integrate new, healthy habits to help heal and prevent burnout

0.35 GS CEUs through The Insightful Interpreter, processed by Interpretek

Click here for instant access


June 2021 Oil Protocol

Give yourself over to review, renewal, reflection, and rest, as you cross the threshold from spring to summer. 

Slow down. 

Give yourself permission to feel the sun on your cheek, the breath in your lungs, even the frustrations and the hurts. Make a deal with yourself to offer patience and curiosity whenever possible.

This oil protocol will serve as a reminder and energetic guide.

light blue background with a white box, rest, release, renew june oil protocol thyme sacrum, wintergreen navel to solar plexis, ylang ylang heart space, basil across back at waist, magnolia heart, throat forehead, frankincense, crown, tag: summer self-care

Thyme – release and forgive
Wintergreen – surrender
Ylang ylang – connect with your inner child
Basil – renewal
Magnolia – compassion
Frank – truth

Dilute essential oils with a carrier oil for increased efficacy and decreased skin sensitivity.


Leave a comment and let us know:

What are your self-care plans this summer? How will you rest, play, renew, and release?

May you find a growing softness within that buoys you through any storm. May the crossing of this seasonal threshold bring you a renewed sense of peace, presence, and patience. May you receive all the love, support, and grace that surrounds you.

Signature: With love and bright focus, Brea. Tag: summer self-care

Cast your vote for our next book club read

Text: What book should we read next? Take our short survey to cast your vote! Image: wooden lap tray with cozy throw blanket, book, and tea with lemon. Tag: book club read

Vote for our next book club read

We had such an amazing time reading Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle and now we’re excited to be gearing up for our next book!

What should we read next?

Click this link to cast your vote!

Get 1.65 CEUs for taking care of yourself this month

Photo of adult, short bleached hair, golden tawny skin tone, wearing glasses and headphones, tattoos on neck and hand, hand on chest, smiling at the camera with tongue playfully out. Tag: may 2021 self-care

Image: Joshua McArthur on Unsplash

May 2021 Self-Care at Burnout Proof Academy

Welcome to May! We’ve been busy creating new burnout support offerings, and are so excited to share them with you.

Burnout Proof Book Club

burnout proof book club, burnout: the secret to unlocking the stress cycle tag: may 2021 self-careWe had such an amazing time in our first Book Club live discussion! We dove deep into Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle.

If you are reading along with us but were unable to make the live discussion, the recording is now posted here.

 

This hour was packed with poignant honesty and real-time revelations, including real talk about:

  • The ‘yuck’ that’s leftover after handling a problem.
  • How holding everything in and doing for everybody else keeps us up late at night.
  • The shame we feel from HAVING emotions.
  • Taking up a hugging practice
  • The struggle of saying what we need or how we feel.
  • The inbox in our gut where we store our uncompleted stress.
  • That it’s ok not to be ok.

This is an on-demand, self-paced book club offering worth 1.3 GS CEUs. If you haven’t yet registered just click below and you’ll get instant access to everything!

Click here for instant access

 


 

 Healing Interpreter Burnout: Complete Your Stress Cycle

0.35 GS CEUs through The Insightful Interpreter, processed by Interpretek

Why complete your stress cycle?

You might be experiencing burnout. Burnout and emotional exhaustion can have negative impacts on your health, relationships, and work.

It can be hard to know how to rescue yourself, let alone find the energy to take positive steps.

Good news! You don’t have to live like this. A long, fulfilling career is within your grasp. This course can help.

You will explore:

  • Your stress cycle: what it is, how to complete it, and how it affects you when you don’t
  • Techniques for self-regulation that you can use during your work day
  • How to form and integrate new, healthy habits to help heal and prevent burnout

 

Click here for instant access


May 2021 Self-Care Oil Protocol

Are you growing in new or uncomfortable ways?
Do you feel like you’re shedding an old skin?

orange background. brighter focus logo. text reads: shed the old. oregano | along spine. marjoram | across chest. arborvitae | navel + crown. neroli | heart + inside wrists. @brighterfocus Tag: may 2021 self-care

 

Oregano – Stop trying to play God. Reconnect to your own and others’ humanity. Sidestep judgement and invite compassion. Accept your imperfections while opening to curiosity and grace.

Marjoram – Connect. Connect with yourself, connect with others. Loving relationships can heal the most painful scars. Invest in them. Open to them.

Arborvitae – Grace surrounds you. Receive it. Rest in it in every moment that you’re able. Soak it up and learn to trust in it. 

Neroli – Partner with Life. Believe that it’s on your side. Acknowledge the way it works in you – your feelings and intuitions are a part of Life’s communication network.


 

May we find peace and growth in the in-between times. May the rain showers and sunbeams remind cleanse and warm us. May we keep reaching deeper inward, and ever toward one another.

I look forward to all the ways we’ll connect in the month ahead!

Signature: With love and bright focus, Brea

Give yourself permission

white woman with curly short brown hair holding a prescription bottle. tag: give yourself permission I just got a prescription for sleeping pills.

I’ve resisted this for so long. After years (a lifetime?) of disturbed sleep, waking to terrifying images that either aren’t real or are in the past, and trying to find and fix the ‘root cause’ – usually some version of believing I’m not doing enough, healed enough, evolved enough, haven’t processed enough. 

I’m ready to feel better and to not make it mean I’ve failed. 

Being a 2 on the enneagram, I’m stubbornly and persistently resistant to my own human-ness. To having needs. It leaves me feeling self-righteous, disappointed, and exhausted.

When I confessed my sleep-struggles today, my doctor peered over her mask compassionately and said, “Breana, you deserve to feel well-rested.”

Her words landed in my middle, cracking my resistant armor and seeping through like warm pudding.

I do deserve to feel well-rested.

This doesn’t preclude my desire to get to the root, to give care and attention to past trauma or current grief. This is not an either/or. 

Believing I have to choose between sleeping better or attending to my mental and emotional well-being is a lie. I can have both. And I can choose better sleep while or even before getting to the bottom of what’s keeping me awake. 

As a mental health coach I know that so many caring people feel trapped by this false choice. Parents, caregivers, and people in relational professions often struggle to prioritize their own needs. Oppression and any sense of ‘other’ness can make it even harder.

Do you relate to this struggle? 
What do you believe you have to choose between?

Let me know below. Together we can reclaim permission to care about how we feel.

April 2021 Oil Protocol and Self-Care Workshops

image of tree with pink blossoms, with a yellow pine warbler bird perched on a branch. Tag: april 2021 self-care

Image credit: Ray Hennessy on Unsplash

Welcome to April!

The vernal equinox on March 20th ushered in a new season that can feel like the start of the new year in the northern hemisphere.

You may be noticing new life emerging around you and feeling the urge to open the windows or blinds (depending on how cold it still is where you are!), clean and clear your space, and be outside in nature.

Here are some of the exciting things emerging this month at Burnout Proof Academy.

 

April 2021 Self-Care at Burnout Proof Academy

We’ve been busy creating new burnout support offerings, and are so excited to share them with you!

brighter focus logo with green mountains and a yellow background healing interpreter burnout: complete your stress cycle, Tag: april 2021 self-care

Healing Interpreter Burnout:
Complete Your Stress Cycle

The Insightful Interpreter is hosting the course Healing Interpreter Burnout: Complete Your Stress Cycle taught in English and ASL by Brea Cross-Caldwell.

You might be experiencing burnout. Burnout and emotional exhaustion can have negative impacts on your health, relationships, and work.

It can be hard to know how to rescue yourself, let alone find the energy to take positive steps.

Good news! You don’t have to live like this. A long, fulfilling career is within your grasp. This course can help.

You will explore:

  • Your stress cycle: what it is, how to complete it, and how it affects you when you don’t
  • Techniques for self-regulation that you can use during your work day
  • How to form and integrate new, healthy habits to help heal and prevent burnout

0.35 GS CEUs processed by Interpretek, an approved continuing education sponsor. $70

*Videos for this course are presented in both American Sign Language and spoken English. Instructions and activities are provided in written English.

*The Insightful Interpreter recognizes that Deaf and BIPOC interpreters have unique skill sets, expertise, and valuable perspectives that benefit the interpreting field. These interpreters also experience bias, oppression, and barriers in our field and our society; in response, we offer discounts on all courses to self-identified members of these groups.

*This course is intended for working sign language interpreters, students of interpreting, and Deaf and DeafBlind community members.

Register for Healing Interpreter Burnout: Complete Your Stress Cycle here!


Burnout Proof Book Club

The long awaited Book Club is finally here! Join us for this deep dive into a foundational and transformational Burnout Proof text:

Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle

burnout proof book club, burnout: the secret to unlocking the stress cycle tag: april 2021 self-care

This course is available on-demand, so you can read along at your own pace and go deeper in the online discussion forums. We’ll do a live discussion through Zoom on April 28, 2021 from 5:00 – 6:00 pm pacific – we hope to see you there! If you can’t make the live discussion, the recording will be posted so you won’t miss a thing.

1.3 GS CEUs processed by Interpretek, an RID approved continuing ed sponsor. $65

Register to Get CEUs for Reading + Discussing Here

 


 


April Oil Protocol

orange background. brighter focus logo. text: emerge oil protocol. citronella - heart space. arborvitae - in + around navel. sandalwood - crown of head. wild orange - solar plexus. @brighterfocus

 

As you apply these oils, bring your attention to your senses:

  • Inhale the fragrance of each oil separately, and the combinations
  • Feel your own touch as you apply them to your body lovingly
  • See the colors of the bottles and the amber drops of liquid
  • Set intentions with each oil application, grounding yourself in what you know to be true

Invite the properties* of each oil to inspire your intentions:

  • Citronella – the oil of appetite for life – a potent cleanser and clearer, helping us to see the path forward. Encourages healthy exchange of energy and collaboration.
  • Arborvitae – the oil of divine grace – aids in releasing what’s no longer serving us, calling in support from all directions, and embracing our humanity – in all its messy beautiful imperfection.
  • Sandalwood – the oil of sacred devotion – encourages heightened spiritual awareness and clarity. Assists in identifying the beliefs, dynamics, and behaviors that aren’t aligned with our values.
  • Wild Orange – the oil of abundance – opens the windows of our soul! Reconnects us with inspiration, joy, play, and creativity.

*From Emotions and Essential Oils: A Reference Guide for Emotional Healing

 


May you allow space for newness, for birth, for the vast unknown of possibility.

I look forward to all the ways we’ll connect in the month ahead!

Signature: With love and bright focus, Brea

March 2021 Oil Protocol and Self-Care Workshops

 Welcome to March!

Spring is approaching! Who’s ready for warmer weather, flowers, sunshine, and longer days?!

As we look forward to spring, we’re also looking forward to all of the exciting things happening this month here at Burnout Proof Academy.

March 2021 Self-Care at Burnout Proof Academy

We’ve been busy creating new burnout support offerings, and are so excited to share them with you!

self care for stressful times burnout proof academy online.self care.ceus. tag: march workshops burnout proof academy

Self-Care for Stressful Times – Live Workshop
hosted by Willie Ross School for the Deaf

Willie Ross School for the Deaf is hosting Self-Care for Stressful Times taught in ASL by Brea Cross-Caldwell.  We invite all interpreters, students, and Deaf professionals in all industries to join us in slowing down and taking inventory, so we can ensure longevity in our field of service.

Worry and uncertainty make for more charged work situations, and can trigger reactions that aren’t always aligned with our values.

This workshop will teach tools from the Learning Zone Model, mindful awareness, and neuroscience to better work with our brains during times of stress.

We’ll create a triage-care practice to provide daily maintenance through stressful times while building empathy, emotional regulation, and resilience.

This workshop will be held in ASL on Tuesday, March 30th at 6:30-9:00pm Eastern time.

0.25 GS CEUs processed by MassRID, an approved continuing education sponsor. $35

Deaf practitioners (independent living assistants, counselors of all kinds, healthcare workers, school staff and faculty, first responders, case workers, interpreters, and schedulers) are invited to contact aslater@wrsdeaf.org for a discount code.

* WRSD is a “most enabling environment” and we expect and will ensure that the learning environment is safe for all.

* refund policy and cancellation policy are available on the registration website.

* The language of this workshop is ASL. We will use breakout rooms. Your participation in practice activities or discussion is required for CEU credit.

Register for Self-Care for Stressful Times here!

 

 

Burnout Proof Book Club

In case you missed the announcement last month, the long awaited Book Club is finally here! Join us for this deep dive into a foundational and transformational Burnout Proof text:

Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle

burnout proof book club, burnout: the secret to unlocking the stress cycle tag: march 2021 self-care

This course is available on-demand, so you can read along at your own pace and go deeper in the online discussion forums. We’ll do a live discussion through zoom on April 28, 2021 from 5:00 – 6:00 pm pacific – we hope to see you there! If you can’t make the live discussion, the recording will be posted so you won’t miss a thing.

1.3 GS CEUs processed by Interpretek, an RID approved continuing ed sponsor. $65

 

Register to Get CEUs for Reading + Discussing Here

 


March Oil Protocol: Surrender

Strong Back. Soft Front. Wild Heart.

All too often our so-called strength comes from fear, not love; instead of having a strong back, many of us have a defended front shielding a weak spine. In other words, we walk around brittle and defensive, trying to conceal our lack of confidence. If we strengthen our backs, metaphorically speaking, and develop a spine that’s flexible but sturdy, then we can risk having a front that’s soft and open….How can we give and accept care with strong-back, soft-front compassion, moving past fear into a place of genuine tenderness? I believe it comes about when we can be truly transparent, seeing the world clearly – and letting the world see into us.

Roshi Joan Halifax

brighter focus. surrender. wintergreen - solar plexus + heart. coriander - back of neck. fennel - inside wrist creases. vetiver - soles of feet. @brighterfocus. tag: march 2021 self-care

As you apply these oils, bring your attention to your senses:

  • Inhale the fragrance of each oil separately, and the combinations
  • Feel your own touch as you apply them to your body lovingly
  • See the colors of the bottles and the amber drops of liquid
  • Set intentions with each oil application, grounding yourself in what you know to be true

Invite the properties* of each oil to inspire your intentions:

  • Wintergreen – the oil of surrender – inspires us in being open to possibility, letting go of our drive to control what can’t be controlled, or to know what can’t be known. When we are in a posture of open hands, we practice receiving support from whatever direction it comes, and allowing our internal and external experience to act upon us – just as we act upon it.
  • Coriander – the oil of integrity – supports the “Human Givers” toward thoughtful stewardship of this one precious life. Rather than neglecting our own needs, we turn toward a willingness to identify and express our authentic desires and take action toward manifesting them.
  • Fennel – the oil of responsibility – strengthens the inner fortitude of our spine as a flexible yet sturdy structure of support. We understand that our values underpin our deepest satisfaction, and we strive to align our behaviors accordingly.
  • Vetiver – the oil of centering – urges us to connect deeply with our physical body and the support of the earth. This awakening a sense of rootedness and groundedness makes space for discomfort and difficult emotions, giving us a sturdy container to hold the complexities and paradox of ourselves and the world.

*From Emotions and Essential Oils: A Reference Guide for Emotional Healing

 


May you enjoy this time of transition in seasons and in energy. May you make space for all that’s ready to fall away and all that’s being born – within and around you.

I look forward to all the ways we’ll connect in the month ahead!

Signature: With love and bright focus, Brea

February Oil Protocol and Self-Care Workshops

Welcome to February!

This new month brings with it a fresh look for Brighter Focus, as we unveil our new logo created by my talented and intuitive dear friend, Makenna O’Keeffe

 

brighter focus yellow background with green mountains, blue river, and orange sun. tag: february 2021 self-care

Look for this beauty to be popping up on social media, in emails, and on our websites – give it a like and let us know what you think!


February 2021 Self-Care at Burnout Proof Academy

We’ve been busy creating new burnout support offerings, and are so excited to share them with you! 

Burnout Proof Book Club

The long awaited Book Club is finally here! Join us for this deep dive into a foundational and transformational Burnout Proof text:

Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle

burnout proof book club, burnout: the secret to unlocking the stress cycle tag: february 2021 self-care

This course is available on-demand, so you can read along at your own pace and go deeper in the online discussion forums. We’ll do a live discussion through zoom on April 28, 2021 from 5:00 – 6:00 pm pacific – I hope to see you there! If you can’t make the live discussion, the recording will be posted so you won’t miss a thing.

Register Here

 

Self-Care Spotlight | Juggling: How To Learn About Daily Life Through Circus Skills

self care spotlight juggling life, how to learn about daily life through circus skills live in the burnout proof collective facebook group february 11th 2021 4 pm pst with sandra leith. tag: february 2021 self-care

 

Self-Care Spotlights are returning to The Burnout Proof Collective Facebook group! I’m so excited to kick off a new round with Sandra Leith, sharing her passion for juggling and how we can use circus arts to practice flexibility with LIFE.

You can catch her live broadcast in the group on Thursday, February 11th, at 4:00 pm pacific.

Healthy Boundaries has a new look!

 

After hosting the live Healthy Boundaries workshop in November, we’ve been editing and processing of the 2-hour long video to get bite-sized chunks you can stream on-demand. Online activities get added, captions are created, and now we’re ready to share the finished product with you!

You can begin the new + improved Healthy Boundaries workshop today!

Register Here

 


Who’s ‘we’?

You may have noticed that Brighter Focus is now a ‘we’ – I’m so excited to introduce you to the organizational brain behind Brighter Focus, Courtney Williams. She keeps all of our projects running on time, and has added so much joy to the process!

woman with husband and four kids standing in front of a christmas tree, tag: february 2021 self-care

Courtney began her virtual assistant journey in August of 2019. She’s an Enneagram 2 so helping people brings her so much joy! When she’s not helping Brea manage all of her projects, you can find Courtney snuggling with her 5 kids on the couch watching Disney movies, drinking sweet tea, and eating chocolate. 

Courtney also has a website where she talks about her grief journey of losing her 4-year-old son, Sam in 2017. You can read her story of loss and hope at www.unlockingjoy.com.


February Oil Protocol

February Oil Protocol. Oregano - crown of head. Lemon Eucalyptus - solar plexus. Siberian Fir - tops of shoulders. Petitgrain - soles of feet. Sandalwood - heart space. Neroli - inside wrists. @brighterfocus tag: february 2021 self-care

February entered with fresh hope and much work to be done. The focus is on embodying qualities of focus, perseverance, and wisdom – while gathering comfort and gentleness for ourselves. It can be a tricky balance some days!

As you apply these oils, bring your attention to your senses:

  • Inhale the fragrance of each oil separately, and the combinations
  • Feel your own touch as you apply them to your body lovingly
  • See the colors of the bottles and the amber drops of liquid
  • Set intentions with each oil application, grounding yourself in what you know to be true

Here are some properties of each oil*, to inspire your intentions:

  • Oregano – humility and non-attachment
  • Lemon Eucalyptus – comfort during rapid change
  • Siberian Fir – grief, perspective, adaptability 
  • Petitgrain – cultivating healthy traditions and connections
  • Sandalwood – spiritual clarity
  • Neroli – empathy, cooperation, resilience

*From Emotions and Essential Oils: A Reference Guide for Emotional Healing


May this new month bring you comfort and continued growing self-awareness. May you feel the strength to persevere in the work that’s yours to do, and may you know the grace of rest and joy. 

I’m so glad to be on this journey with you.

Signature: With love and bright focus, Brea. tag: february 2021 self-care